The Feather Detective by Christopher Sweeney is a unique blend of mystery, memoir, and ornithology. One doesn’t usually think of feathers in the same context of murder and mayhem, but “The Miss Marple of Eiderdown” was often the key to solving crimes and the causes of accidents.
Roxie Laybourne, born in 1910 in NC, defied conventions of the time to become the first female forensic ornithologist . With an outdated microscope and a few managed feathers, she developed methods of identifying and classifying feathers that are still archived and used in the Smithsonian today. She was called upon by many law enforcement organizations including FBI, NTSB, and branches of the military to investigate murders and other crimes as well as aviation disasters.
A very interesting biography that read like a novel, Roxie’s story tells of a remarkable woman’s triumphs in a male dominated world.
Submitted by: Jackie Brooks
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